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Margit Maria Siwertz

1900-08-271971-06-10

Journalist, magazine editor

Margit Siwertz’ career as a journalist started with the daily newspaper Norrköpings Tidningar. Her special interests were the theatre and the entertainment world.

Margit Siwertz was born in Norrköping in 1900 and she was educated at the North Norrköping grammar school for girls. After her matriculation in 1917, she worked as a journalist, first at the local daily newspaper Norrköpings Tidningar, but after moving to Stockholm she worked at various newspapers and magazines in the capital. From 1919 she collaborated in the theatre magazine The stage (Scenen) and from 1923 she was its editorial secretary. During her years at the magazine Vecko-Journalen in 1929—1946, which was then led by Elsa Nyblom, Margit Siwertz developed into a clever reporter in all the fields covered by the magazine. She interviewed innumerable well-known women and men, among others Lydia Wahlström in 1933 and Marika Stiernstedt and Lubbe Nordström in 1935. She wrote columns and covered all kinds of cultural and historical subjects. Under the signature Tigram, she was responsible for many of the more important articles. Shortly after Elsa Nyblom had been dismissed as chief editor for Vecko-Journalen, Margit Siwertz also left the magazine.

From 1947, Margit Siwertz collaborated on the weekly paper Idun, for which she wrote various articles on royal individuals, both in Sweden and abroad. In 1947 she published a book on the actor Lars Hanson, on which she also gave talks at author’s evenings around the country. The same year, she began a new, longer period of her life writing reportage on theatre, music and entertainment events in the major Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. In 1948, a series was published in which she interviewed actors about their experiences of working with August Strindberg’s dramas, among them Lars Hanson, Inga Tidblad and Anders de Wahl. Under the signature Tigram she wrote short, chatty Idag (Today) articles and contributions with the vignette “On-stage glimpses” (“Scenglimtar”).

Apart from her work as a journalist, Margit Siwertz seems to have won the respect and friendship of her colleagues in the profession. She was a board member of the Publicist club and on the Swedish Press Council (Pressens opinionsnämnd). For a while, Margit Siwertz was also the secretary of the Nya Idun association. In the spring of 1948, the readers of Svenska Dagbladet were able to share a detailed report from an evening organised by the Professional women’s club (Yrkeskvinnors klubb, YK). In it Margit Siwertz was called “an old and experienced theatre journalist” and her interview with six well-known actresses seems to have been the high point of the evening, or at least a highly acclaimed dessert. In 1950 her chapter “Från blåstrumpa till yrkesjournalist” (“From blue stocking to professional journalist”) was published in the book Svensk Yrkeskvinna. In 20 pages, she here presents a predecessor to Margareta Berger’s press research, a little more than 20 years later.

Her husband since 1929, the author and journalist Sigfrid Siwertz, was elected to the Swedish Academy in 1932. He also contributed as a theatre critic to Vecko-Journalen, from 1941.

Margit Siwertz died on 10 June 1971. She is buried with her husband in Solna Cemetery.


Birgitta Ney
(Translated by Margaret Myers)


Published 2020-03-02



You are welcome to cite this article but always provide the author’s name as follows:

Margit Maria Siwertz, www.skbl.se/sv/artikel/MargitMariaSiwertz, Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon (article by Birgitta Ney), retrieved 2024-12-07.




Other Names

    Maiden name: Strömberg
    Signature: Tigram, -gram, M.S., M. S-z., -z, Dorine, La petite


Family Relationships

Civil Status: Widow
  • Mother: Maria Cecilia Strömberg, född Malmström
  • Father: Georg Ludvig Strömberg
  • Brother: Kjell Rutger Georg Strömberg
more ...


Education



Activities

  • Profession: Journalist, 1918–1919 Norrköpings tidningar, 1919–1926 Scenen, 1926–1928 Stockholms dagblad
  • Profession: Journalist, redaktionssekreterare, Jorden Runt
  • Profession: Journalist, kåsör, Vecko-Journalen
more ...


Contacts

  • Friend: Elsa Nyblom
  • Colleague: Lars Lagerstedt
  • Colleague: Erik, kallad Kaifas, Ljungberger


Organisations

  • Publicistklubben
    Medlem, styrelseledamot 1942–1947
  • Pressens Opinionsnämnd
    Ledamot
  • Sällskapet Nya Idun
    Ledamot, sekreterare 1957–1966


Residences

  • Birthplace: Norrköping
  • Norrköping
  • Stockholm
  • Place of death: Stockholm


Sources

Literature
  • Lagerstedt, Lars, "Margit Siwertz" [Nekrolog], Svenska Dagbladet 1971-06-12



Further References

Litteratur
  • Berger, Margareta, Pennskaft: kvinnliga journalister i svensk dagspress 1690-1975, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1977

  • Siwertz, Margit, 'Från blåstrumpa till yrkesjournalist', Svensk yrkeskvinna, Göteborg, 1950, S. 48-67



Margit Siwertz, 1968. Photo: Jan Björsell
Margit Siwertz, 1968. Photo: Jan Björsell

Keywords

20th century Journalists